On June 10th, an authoritative voice leading the resistance and challenging both the left and right, Joy-Ann Reid, will receive the George Curry Drum Major for Justice Award for Excellence in Journalism.

The award ceremony, Say Her Name: 20 Years of Intersectionality in Action, will be hosted by Kimberlee Crenshaw, co-founder of AAPF and professor of law at Columbia University and UCLA. Crenshaw is also a major figure in the movement to fund philanthropy specifically for women and girls of color.

Rep. Keith Ellison, Democrat, Minnesota

The ceremony will also mark the 20th anniversary for AAPF, and will include playwright/activist Eve Ensler, as well as Rep Keith Ellison (D-MN-5), who has been a supporter of the rights of Muslim Americans and received the Utne Reader’s Visionary Award in 2011 for his work.

As the host of “AM Joy” on MSNBC and a columnist for The Daily Beast, Reid has been critical of both liberal and conservative politicians and has used her platform to combat injustices against vulnerable communities.

In her recent book Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons and the Racial Divide, Reid calls out the Democrats’ reluctance to more directly address issues of race. Since the Trump administration took office, Reid has been a major leader in providing journalism that highlights the new President’s regressive policies.

Kimberle Crenshaw, Co-Founder, African American Policy Forum

“Joy-Ann Reid’s work to amplify the voices of Black women leaders through the Reid Report and The Grio is both necessary and inspiring,” said Crenshaw, in a press release announcing the award.

Recent initiatives by the AAPF have included: #SayHerName, which responded to the deaths of young African-American men by calling attention to the ongoing violence against black women, and #HerDreamedDeferred, a week long series of panels and discussions at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles which highlighted black women and girls’ experiences.

The AAPF journalism award is named for George E. Curry, who passed away in 2016. Curry was “the embodiment of journalistic integrity, committing his career to advancing civil rights” through his immense body of writing for Black newspapers nationally. Curry, like Reid, was also known for challenging and critiquing political leadership on both the left and right.

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Author: Kiersten Marek

Kiersten Marek, LICSW, is the founder of Philanthropy Women. She practices clinical social work in Cranston, Rhode Island, and writes about how women donors and their allies are advancing social change.
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